


Overworked

by ahvengering



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Domestic Avengers, Established Relationship, Fever, Fluff, Hurt Tony, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sick Tony, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 05:07:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19288783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahvengering/pseuds/ahvengering
Summary: Tony overworks himself, and Steve worries about Tony overworking himself. They continue to be in love despite it.





	Overworked

The team was crowded around the television, all eagerly awaiting the beginning of their weekly movie night. It was Clint’s turn to pick the flick, and the suspense thriller starting to play in front of them promised a well-deserved relief from the minor attack in Central Park that had taken place earlier that day. It had been a long, tiring affair, and Steve leaned back against the cushions of the loveseat with a bone-deep sigh, looking around at his team as pride swelled in his heart.

  
However, the evening would only be complete once Tony graced them with his presence.

There were two things that Steve had learned quite quickly once he finally grew a pair and asked Tony out, after many exasperated insistences from the team and threats from Natasha. The most surprising thing was Tony’s nonstop work ethic. Steve had tried very hard to think the best of Tony, especially after his actions in the battle of New York; but he had to admit, the idea that all the man did was attend fancy soirees and drink his weight in whiskey had stuck with him. Then, he had stumbled into Tony’s workshop at three am on a Tuesday to find him coding a new program with one hand and tinkering on his bots with the other, looking as though he hadn’t slept in days.

The other thing was that Tony slept naked. That didn’t worry Steve nearly as much as the overworking. In fact, he was definitely in favor of Tony sleeping naked, especially when he was sleeping naked in Steve’s bed.

“Hey, Cap, where’s the old ball and chain?” Clint said, an infectious grin on his face. He was curled up next to Phil on the couch as the handler carded a hand through his short, blonde hair, a contented smile on his face.

“He’s probably working late again,” Steve said, quirking the corner of his mouth up in a crooked smile. “You know how he is.”

“Well, he better get here soon,” Natasha said from her place next to Clint and Phil, not looking away from the television as Clint pressed his thumbs into the soles of her feet, rubbing away the tension of the day. “He’s going to miss the most important parts if he doesn’t hurry up.”

“You’ve seen this before?” Steve said, looking down at the dvd case. It was part of a franchise that he’d never heard of, about a spy who worked for the London secret service.

“Clint loves the Bond films,” Nat whispered to him, jerking a thumb at the archer, who’s eyes were glued to the screen. “He likes to tell us everything that’s wrong, but secretly he wants to be Bond.”

“Do you see that shit?” Clint said, gesturing at the screen in outrage. “How the fuck does Bond shoot some dude at point blank and not get any blood on his suit?”

“Maybe because he knows that bloodstains are extremely hard to get out of clothing, coming from the man that does most of your laundry,” Phil said dryly, staring at the screen as Clint gave him a look of mock offense. “And watch your language, Peter’s here.”

“It’s okay, Agent Coulson,” Peter said distractedly from where he was sitting in a comfy armchair, an Advanced Calculus book taking up most of his lap. “I’ve heard worse.

“Yeah, probably from Clint.”

“Hey!” Clint’s voice was indignant as he shoved Nat with a hand. “I’m perfectly child-safe!”

Steve turned away from Nat and Clint’s raised voices to see Tony stride into the room, wearing a dark blue hoodie and worn jeans.

“Tony!”

“Hey, sugarbutt,” Tony said smoothly, opening the fridge and grabbing a water bottle from within. Clint choked on air as Nat smacked the side of his head with an open palm. Steve felt concern tingle at the edges of his mind as he noticed Tony’s hands shaking slightly. The genius came over to the loveseat, sliding in and curling up quietly in Steve’s side.

“Excellent!” Thor said loudly, leaning forward on the edge of his own armchair as the opening sequence for the movie began. Steve felt more than a bit uncomfortable as he noted the odd combination of naked women and tentacles. “The ladies of the Bond!”

“I went out with an actress who played a Bond girl once,” Phil mused. “She was very nice. She had three cats and a degree in Philosophy.”

“And great tits,” Clint said, eyes glued to the screen.

“Because as we know, great breasts are the most important part,” Natasha said sarcastically, pulling her feet off of Clint’s lap and curling up with her arm pressed into his thigh. “Phil’s only with you for your boobs, anyways, Clint.”

“I knew it,” Clint said dramatically, leaning up to peck Phil on the lips as Natasha made a small sound of disgust.

“Technically, we all have the ability to grow breasts, since all humans start out as female in the womb,” Bruce’s disembodied voice floated up from where he was leaning against the back of Thor’s chair, barefoot and tapping away at a complicated schematic on the pad in front of him.

“My boobies bring all the boys to the yard!” Clint’s voice was horribly out of tune, and Natasha swatted him with a rolled-up magazine.

“Shut up and watch the movie, bonehead.”

Steve chuckled at his teammates’ light-hearted camaraderie. He turned to Tony, expecting him to be laughing as well, only to find him fast asleep, head draped on Steve’s shoulder with his mouth hanging open slightly. Steve smiled softly at the sight, gently carding a hand through Tony’s short black hair. However, the smile turned to a frown when he felt the heat radiating off of the other man’s forehead.

“Tony?” Steve kept his voice soft, thankful for the drone of the movie in the background.

Tony stirred, tired eyes blinking open. “Steve? S’movie done already?”

“Not yet, sweetheart,” he whispered, smiling worriedly. “But you’re really warm. Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine. Just got a little hot down in the workshop.” He sat up slowly, reaching for the bottle of water he’d set next to the loveseat and taking a small sip.

Steve frowned, but let it go, settling back to take in the movie. After a few moments, Tony leaned back into his arms, cuddling against his chest.

That was another thing he never would have guessed about Tony before dating him-the genius was a huge cuddler. Some people would have found it annoying or clingy, but Steve? Steve couldn’t get enough of it. Seventy years in the ice had made him long desperately for human touch, and Tony’s near-constant, koala-like state was the perfect therapy that Steve had been searching for all along. To Steve, there was nothing better than waking up to Tony wrapped around him, soaking in his superhuman warmth with his soft lips pressed against Steve’s weathered skin.

About halfway through the movie, Tony struggled to his feet, mumbling something about taking a piss before disappearing into the communal hallway bathroom. Having lost interest in the plot anyways (how could this spy not see that the Nine Eyes program was a trap?), Steve followed him, the rational part of his brain criticizing him for worrying unnecessarily. He rapped on the bathroom door with his knuckles.

“Tony? I was thinking of heading to bed-I’ve got no clue what’s going on in this film and I’m pretty worn out from today, if you want to join-”

“Steve…”

Steve didn’t hesitate when he heard Tony’s weak, pain-laden plea, calling out to JARVIS in a tense voice. “JARVIS, override code Rogers Seven Four Alpha Eight.”

The door slid open to reveal Tony, leaning over a vomit-splattered sink with a shaking hand pressed to the glowing arc reactor in his chest. Steve rushed to his side, shock coursing through him.

“Tony! Oh my god, what happened?”

Tony coughed, spitting bile into the sink as he struggled to stand on shaking legs. “Hurts…chest…can’t br-can’t breathe…”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Steve breathed, “Why didn’t you say something?”

“Didn’t…didn’t want to ruin…movie night…” Tony abruptly fell against the counter, vomiting again as bile splattered the marbled countertop.

“Bruce!” Steve yelled as he grabbed Tony under sweaty armpits, lowering him to sit on the floor with his back against the counter’s cabinets. Bruce entered moments later, concern wrinkling his forehead as he took in the scene before him.

“What happened?”

“Tony’s sick,” Steve said, brushing a wet cloth against the man’s mouth as his head lolled back against the wooden cabinets. “He’s got a fever, for sure, and he can’t stop upchucking.”

Bruce frowned, kneeling down in front of the engineer and grabbing his wrist, taking his pulse. “His heart’s going a mile a minute.”

Tony coughed, eyes wandering between Bruce and Steve’s faces as he tried to comprehend the situation. Steve watched helplessly as Bruce tried to get his boyfriend to follow his finger with his eyes. “Definitely not a concussion, he’s tracking depth all right.”

“The flu, then?” Steve questioned, gesturing up at the vomit-covered sink.

“That would explain the nausea,” Bruce acknowledged as he stood. “Can you get him into your room?”

Steve picked Tony up in his arms, his heart melting as the genius’s head lolled down against his shoulder, sweaty black hair brushing his neck. He carried Tony down the hallway and into their bedroom-by the time they made it to the bed, the man was fast asleep, mouth slack against Steve’s neck.

“Let him rest for a couple hours,” Bruce said softly as Steve tucked Tony between the cool covers. “It’s possible he’s just overworked himself again. I’ll come back and check on him later tonight.”

Steve nodded, lying down next to Tony as Bruce left, shutting the door behind himself with a gentle click. In his sleep, Tony looked years younger, his face unguarded and soft. Steve brushed his fingers gently through the tangled black hair atop his head, stroking the tip of his ear with a thumb. He hadn’t told Tony he loved him yet-he was afraid that that much commitment might scare the genius off. But he couldn’t imagine a life without Tony Stark, not after having tasted how much better everything was with Tony around.

…………………

Hours later, Steve felt the bed shift and sat up immediately, entire body on alert. “Tony? Sweetheart, you awake?”

“Mmmmuuuurghhhh-Steve?” Tony pulled the thick duvet away from his face and looked up at the other man, hair hopelessly mussed from sleep. “S’everything okay?”

“No, dummy,” Steve said, chuckling. “You threw up all over the bathroom. Remember?”

“Fuck-” Tony pulled himself upward, wincing when Steve had to help him sit up. “Yeah. Shit. Did I ruin movie night? Steve, I’m so sorry-”

“No! Tony, no, you didn’t ruin anything. You were just sick.” Steve said softly, kissing the crown of his sweaty head. “I just wish you’d told me sooner that you weren’t feeling well.”

“Sorry, babe,” Tony said apologetically. “I forget sometimes that I can do that now. I’ve—well, you know. I’ve never had anyone care about me enough to be less than the best.”

“I know.” Steve smiled softly and wrapped his arms around Tony, pulling him in close. “That’s why you have all of us now. Everyone else was so worried. Clint’s insisting that he needs to make you get-well waffles.”

Tony laughed, rolling his eyes. “See, normally, I’m all about waffles, but some of Clint’s food choices concern me. Not sure my stomach is feeling too brave right now.”

Steve chuckled, before taking a deep breath. “Hey, Tony…I love you.”

Tony stiffened and Steve immediately worried that he’d said the wrong thing. “You don’t have to say it back. I know this is not the best time to say that, but I just…I was so worried about you last night and all I could think about was how much I would miss not having you in my life, even when you’re throwing up all over the bathroom or working yourself to death, and I couldn’t stand not telling you any longer, even though I know it’s kind of a big thing and a scary thing and maybe a lot of feelings for right now—”

“Steve,” Tony said gently, a soft grin on his face. “You’re babbling, baby.”

Steve closed his mouth abruptly, looking suitably chastised. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about,” Tony whispered, leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of Steve’s mouth. “I love you too, you know. Big scary feelings and all.”

Steve let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Thank god. I was scared that you might kick me out of bed.”

“For telling me you love me?” Tony laughed. “No way, mister. In fact, I’m not letting you leave this bed until I’ve proven to you just how okay with it I am.”

Steve grinned as Tony leaned in for another, much less chaste, kiss, and wondered, for maybe the tenth time, how he’d gotten so lucky.


End file.
